Category Overview
Farmland Preservation protects valuable farmland and habitat for recreationally important animals, like salmon, birds, deer, and elk. These projects allow families to continue farming the land they have worked on for generations, and provide Washingtonians with healthy local food and a diverse economy. WWRP is the only source of farmland preservation funding in the state budget.
Project Highlights
The Methow Conservancy will permanently protect, via a conservation easement, a 61.0-ac farmland property located on Mundy Road near Twisp in Okanogan County, Washington. The site is owned by the Christianson family, a long-time farming family in the Methow Valley who now leases their land as part of Doubletree Farm’s WSDA licensed Grade-A dairy operation. Doubletree Farms maintains a milking herd of Jersey and Jersey-cross cows, and the Christianson Mundy property provides important lands for their operation.The site contains high-quality soils and water rights, which will be tied to the land in perpetuity as part of the conservation easement. The property is located within 5-ac zoning, and the project will retain one farmstead and eliminate remaining development rights. The site is located in close proximity to other farmland and has easy access to local markets. The site is of sufficient size to sustain a farming operation on its own, or as part of a larger operation as it is now. The project provides an opportunity for restoration and protection of riparian habitat and floodplains along the Methow River, thereby providing benefit to Threatened and Endangered salmonids and other important wildlife species. The protection of working lands and riparian areas is highly valued by residents of the Methow Valley.Protecting the Christianson Mundy property is supported by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.